The Gloomy and Timid Princess Heads to the Academy

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“Um, I’m not really sure what you’re saying.”

Dokan casually tried to brush off the flattery he had just given me, acting as if it wasn’t really a compliment.

If it had been someone else, they might have been caught, but the situation was different. How could he try to slip that by me right in front of my face? Having spent quite a bit of time with him, I could tell his true intentions behind those words.

“…Stop dodging. You’ve been neglecting me until now… You’re just trying to smooth things over like this.”

And with all his running around and nothing to show for it, he was too embarrassed to admit that the harvest had been a bust, so now he was dropping hints.

He even asked for my understanding, didn’t he? Sorry! I’ll say something nice, so please forgive me! Something along those lines. It was also a way to calm my anger.

Not that this was all my fault, but if things had gone well, I would probably have been even angrier, right?

Anyway. I simply couldn’t let this slide. No matter how much it was Dokan, I had to demand a proper apology.

“Hoyun. I’m sorry. I was a bit… foolish.”

Yet, Dokan offered no excuses or pretense, only an apology.

…Oh. An apology. Yes, if he messed up, he should apologize. But this wasn’t quite the scene I had envisioned…?

“I guess your head was a bit messed up. You couldn’t even look me in the eye, and yet you’re trying to look at someone else? Even a little thought would show how stupid that is.”

…What’s with him all of a sudden? He wasn’t acting like himself. Normally overflowing with confidence, he was hopping around looking for something to do, but that wasn’t who I was seeing now.

Did something happen? His usual bravado seemed slightly diminished, and he looked weaker than usual.

I wanted to ask if something was wrong, but it didn’t feel like the right time to push him. I didn’t want to appear weak either; I didn’t want to do anything that would make him pity me.

“…Well, at least you realized something was wrong. Just knowing that is enough. So, now you can leave. You came here to say that, right?”

Knowing full well he would poke around at things tomorrow, just hearing him say that warmed my heart a bit.

Besides, there wasn’t really a reason for him to be here otherwise.

“Oh, and one more thing. I’m going to quit that now.”

…

“Dokan, did something bad happen? Like, are you maybe feeling overwhelmed with those prince-like guys hanging around…?”

Since Dokan was a commoner, he had to tread carefully in front of royalty. He wouldn’t just give up on his own, would he? Right?

That muscle-bound piggy next to Anya is the heir to the count’s family. He might have said something to Dokan, who used to hang around Anya a lot. Rumor has it that feelings have started to bloom between those two lately.

…I can’t quite picture that thick-headed muscle guy keeping others at bay, though. People are always unpredictable, so who knows?

“No, it’s nothing like that. I just felt a lack of ability. If I kept going at this rate, I thought I might lose you too. So I decided to quit.”

…Did he really choose to quit of his own accord? Did something really bad happen? Did Anya directly warn him not to interfere between us…?

Sure, I might have engaged in a little sabotage to keep him from getting too close to those girls… but I never intended for it to get out of hand.

“Is everything okay… though?”

I’d feel awful if something really happened because of me. I thought it’d be good if he got tired of everything, but I didn’t want him feeling this weak now.

“…I don’t think it’s okay. I guess if I had to phrase it, I’d say I’m more at ease. Yeah. It’s hard to say outright.”

He absolutely did not look okay. What to do? It definitely seems like I was involved…

I racked my brains, trying to think of how I might lift Dokan’s mood, but nothing came to mind.

But he looked so dejected.

“…Hoyun?”

We stood so close that we could feel each other’s breaths. Like wrapping a hard rock in a soft cloth.

I wondered if this would help lighten his mood a bit. Wouldn’t it feel nice for someone you liked to hug you? I wrapped my arms around Dokan warmly.

…Hugging among friends isn’t exactly common, though. But we are friends, so it should be fine. Dokan seemed frozen, perhaps surprised that I would act this way.

I thought he would be driven mad by girls, but maybe that’s not the case. Or maybe it’s just because we’re friends?

“Yeah. You did well. I’ll recognize your efforts.”

Since he tried, someone should commend him. Even if, technically, that someone should have been someone angry with him for not performing well.

And this hug was a reward for letting go of things.

Perhaps seeing that I meant it, Dokan stopped pushing away and quietly settled into my embrace without a word.

He subtly put his hand on me, but I decided to let it slide this time. He must be feeling pretty down, and besides, this was my chance to step in closer.

As we hugged for a while, one problem arose.

It was hot, and I felt a bit shy, but I didn’t know when to let go. Neither of us was moving away from the embrace.

I felt like it would be okay to stay like this… but I did want to write my diary.

“…Um, Dokan. Should we slowly… stop?”

However, maybe he was too absorbed in our hug, and when I turned to push away, he finally snapped out of it and pulled away.

“Oh, sorry. And thanks for comforting me.”

…Let’s take this as a written agreement. Since it was stress-induced fatigue.

“…Was it really that good?”

I thought I should tease him a little out of spite. If he were really obsessed with girls, he wouldn’t have had such a candid moment, but now that I knew he was okay, I thought I could play with him a bit.

“Yeah. It felt like I didn’t want to let go.”

…Huh?

“Ah… I see!”

That’s not how it was supposed to go…? If he intended to throw that back at me in a teasing way, I would have caught a glimpse of it in his expression, but I couldn’t find any such intention in him right now.

He really felt purely happy that I hugged him… This guy isn’t one to be ignorant of his intentions.

It seems like the disappointment ran quite deep…

“I wasn’t teasing you. It was really nice. Can I ask for your help when I face difficulties in the future?”

Uh, um…

“Of course…! Just ask! Petting… too? Hugging…!”

His overly innocent display of affection left me flustered and unable to think clearly. So I blurted out whatever came to mind.

“Yeah. Thanks. You really are the only one I can rely on. Then… could you tell me a bit more about the East?”

Hearing the mention of my hometown brought some clarity back to me. My face was still burning, but this was something I needed to clearly convey.

I didn’t know anything else, but when it came to hometown stories, I had to be alert.

“…Hmm… Sure. What do you want to know?”

“Um… transportation? The way you spoke made it sound huge, but you never mentioned the transportation being inconvenient.”

Ah, is that what you meant? I remember thinking about how one would travel in such a vast place.

“Every village is equipped with instantaneous transportation devices utilizing the ley lines. I’m not entirely sure how they work, but… anyone can use them. The only downside is the recharge time is a bit long, but the engineers are working overnight to improve that.”

“…So, teleporters, huh.”

In other words, teleporters. He catches on quickly. This gives me a little motivation to explain.

– – – –

This just struck me, but why do important dates always coincide with my alive period? Midterm exams too.

Even my childhood birthdays. Back then, it didn’t have much of an impact; I was just slightly feverish.

Now, shaking off the familiar fog in my head, I struggled to rise from my bed.

After five minutes of dazedness, I tried to recall what exactly had happened yesterday. So…

Did I explain the medical system? The day before that was about transportation. I couldn’t quite recall it clearly. Still, I’d brush off the exam easily.

Compared to the hellish problems of the Hellfire Peninsula that I couldn’t forget, the level of difficulty here felt like spicy tteokbokki.

Am I really going to let that kind of thing bring me down?

…First, I hope I can wake up. I’d like to figure out how to stop being hazy every morning.

Wobbling around, I somehow managed to wash up and, like usual, prayed to God to dry my hair.

“…Oh, right. You must be having the time of your life right now…”

Seeing me doing this after drying my own hair yesterday, it’s clear I’ve gone a bit dumbfounded by my time of the month.

While squeezing out the water still seeping from my hair, I promised myself to be especially careful today.

Last time, I nearly bit Dokan’s head off. Luckily, he reassured me that it was okay, or else I would have felt awful about it for ages.

I wasn’t feeling bad right now, but still. I couldn’t help but blame him for being a bit cold when he saw me treating others nicely.

Well, that was over, so I’d never treat Dokan like that again.

Just as I was about to throw on my school uniform, I suddenly remembered the casual clothes I had kept nicely in my closet.

…Now that I think about it, there were quite a few students who wore things other than uniforms. Just looking at Anya, she was properly dressed in a customized coat.

Other kids also wore their unique styles. Most opted for uniforms, though.

But? I’m a princess, right? I should be all right since I’m different from the majority… right?